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Beginning in 1992, the Great Falls Balloon Festival was held every August in Lewiston.

In 2024, organizers canceled the festival, citing “logistical issues, safety concerns, and other unexpected factors beyond our control.”

The Lewiston-Auburn Balloon Festival committee, a collaboration of staff and residents from Lewiston and Auburn, was formed later that year to revive the festival. The group presented the event for the first time last year as the Lewiston-Auburn Balloon Festival.

This year’s festival runs Friday to Sunday. Details can be found at laballoonfest.org.

Here’s a look back at some stunning photos of the Great Falls Balloon Festival from the 1990s through the mid-2010s.

In 1999, hot air balloons rose above Railroad River Park in Lewiston. (Gordon Chibroski/Staff Photographer)
During the 1999 festival, a hot air balloon is filled with hot air as it prepares to ascend. (Gordon Chibroski/Staff Photographer)
In 2000, balloons float above the clouds during the Great Falls Balloon Festival. (Russ Dillingham/Staff Photographer)
Ken Krieger of Elmira, New York, lifts off in his balloon “Gone With The Wind” during the 2001 Great Falls Balloon Festival. (Jack Milton/Staff Photographer)
During the 2003 festival, a colorful hot air balloon fills the sky. (John Patriquin/Staff Photographer)
In 2003, pilot Ron Poulin from Lisbon (right) guides his balloon in for a safe landing with Dick and Elaine Dube from Lewiston aboard. (John Patriquin/Staff Photographer)
A balloon modeled after the Statue of Liberty rises from Railroad Park during the morning launch of balloons in 2005. (Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer)
Balloons float over Lewiston and Auburn during the Saturday morning launch of the 14th Annual Great Falls Balloon Festival in 2006. (Russ Dillingham/Staff Photographer)
In 2010, balloons fill the sky during a morning launch. (Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal)
During the 2016 festival, balloons take to the sky over Auburn and Lewiston. (Russ Dillingham/Staff Photographer)
A balloon passes in front of Lewiston City Hall and the former St. Patrick’s Church during the 2010 Great Falls Balloon Festival. (Russ Dillingham/Staff Photographer)
In 2016, Yoda and Darth Vader made an appearance at the Great Falls Balloon Festival. (Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer)
A colorful tapestry of hot air balloons dot the sky during the 2016 festival. (Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer)
A unique view of one of the balloons in the 2017 Great Falls Balloon Festival. (Jill Brady/Staff Photographer)

See more photos of life in Maine from our archives here.

Aimsel Ponti is a music writer and content producer for the Portland Press Herald. She has been obsessed with – and inspired by – music since she listened to Monkees records borrowed from the town...

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